Co-op, Starship Technologies and Leeds City Council have partnered to bring autonomous grocery delivery to the streets of Leeds.
The service will be available to 20,000 residents initially within the Adel and Tinshill area of Leeds, with groceries picked fresh in local Co-op stores on Spen Lane (Tinshill) and Otley Road (Adel) for delivery quickly and conveniently in the community.
Orders are made through the Starship food delivery app, which is available for download on iOS and Android with Leeds residents able to choose from a range of grocery items, schedule their delivery, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent.
Chris Conway, eCommerce Director, Co-op, said:
“Co-op is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to its products and services. Our members and customers lead busy lives and so ease, speed and convenience is a cornerstone of our approach. Co-op stores are well placed to provide quick home deliveries in communities with products picked fresh in our local stores - whether that is a full grocery shop or for those last-minute top-ups, treats for evenings at home or forgotten items. We are delighted to be expanding into Yorkshire to provide flexible, quick and convenient options online for shoppers in our communities.”
Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive member for infrastructure and climate, Leeds City Council, said:
“As a council we are absolutely committed to delivering alternative, sustainable methods of travel to help reach our target of becoming net-zero by 2030. We are trying to reduce the number of short journeys made by car, including those made by delivery vehicles. I’m really excited by the launch of this pilot, which will be trialled for three months in north-west Leeds."
Alastair Westgarth, CEO at Starship Technologies, said:
“We are delighted to bring the benefits of autonomous delivery to residents in Leeds. This is our first significant expansion to the north of England, and we are confident the robots will make a positive impact in terms of actively reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, while also providing ease and convenience for local communities. Our robots have been widely welcomed as part of the community in all the areas we operate, and we are confident they will be equally embraced in Leeds. We are looking forward to working closely with Leeds City Council and Co-op and hope to further expand our service to more parts of Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region in the near future.”